OFO Field Trip to Skunk's Misery, June 8, 2008 - Trip Report
Not knowing how many people we'd actually get showing up for the trip - with the harsh mosquito warnings - we were very glad to have 14 people show up, many from London area, but also about a third from Toronto and greater Toronto - thanks all for coming, and we hope you enjoyed the day as much as we did. Skunk's Misery is a 19th century name for a large tract of Carolinian forest/swamp near Newbury Ontario, also called the Middlesex County Forest. We had planned to do some grasslands birding in the area as well if time permitted, but the forest kept everyone interested for the duration of the trip. Our first stop was for Blue-winged Warbler, which was singing immediately when we arrived, but proved to take a bit of time to see - eventually it came out to the road, and everyone was able to get a great look. Although not many birds were singing (the conditions were somewhat hot and humid - but for the most part, a heavy breeze and the cooling effects of the forest itself kept us relatively comfortable - OTHER THAN THE MOSQUITOES. We were most impressed by how little the mosquitoes bothered all the courageous souls who followed us into the swarms - which is not to say there weren't very large numbers of mosquitoes - which there were. Despite the overall general quietness, Cerulean Warbler and Hooded Warbler were both singing extensively, and some members of the group were able to get tantalizing views of both these birds after much searching of the trees, which were waving in the wind, making spotting the birds difficult. Our final major target species, Acadian Flycatcher, eventually gave us very close excellent views as a male came over and checked us out, singing repeatedly. We ventured back to our first stop in the hopes that a Broad-winged Hawk we'd seen briefly carrying food in the morning might be flying around now that it was nearly noon. Sure enough, the hawk gave a great show, flying right over us for a couple of minutes. Butterflies were seen throughout the day, including many Giant Swallowtails, several Red-spotted Purples, many Hobomok Skippers, and a fair number of Spicebush Swallowtails. Several Tiger Beetles (most likely Cicindela sexguttata) were spotted along the path, and several wood frogs and american toads were also seen. At one point a very large animal - which was likely a deer, but seemed much larger by the sound! - crashed away from us through deep wet scrub. Part of the interest on the trip also turned out to be trees - with the enormous tulip trees in one particular area being show stoppers at our last site. There were also abundant sassafras all through Skunk's, from tiny sprouts right up to massive tall trees. A smaller number of Chestnut saplings and sprouts were also observed. Thanks again to everyone who attended, and for those who can brave the bugs - hopefully this trip will run next year too. Rob Read and Gavin Platt _________________________________________________________________ If you like crossword puzzles, then you'll love Flexicon, a game which combines four overlapping crossword puzzles into one! http://g.msn.ca/ca55/208_______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list [email protected] For instructions to join or leave ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdssetup.php ONTBIRDS Guidelines may be viewed at http://www.ofo.ca/information/ontbirdsguide.php
